Two-in-one finch bird feeder

ABSTRACT

A bird feeder is provided having a seed reservoir with a side wall that has at least one seed access opening and an adjustable feed port assembly. The feed port assembly includes a base mounted to the side wall in a fixed relationship thereto and having a central opening in communication with the seed in the reservoir. Fitted to the base is a rotatable insert having a perch coupled thereto in fixed relationship so that the perch and insert rotate as a unit. The insert is rotatable between two positions, an upright position in which the perch is below the base central opening enabling birds to feed while standing on the perch, and an upside down position in which the perch is above the base central opening, requiring birds to hang upside down from the perch to feed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to bird feeders for attractingand feeding wild birds. More particularly, the present inventionconcerns a bird feeder having a feed port assembly with a base mountedadjacent a seed reservoir opening in a fixed position and a rotatableinsert having a perch fixed thereto that can be locked to the base intwo positions. In a first position, the perch is positioned below theseed reservoir opening to allow birds to feed right side up. In a secondposition, the perch is positioned above the feed port, limiting accessto those birds that can feed upside down, such as gold finches.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Persons have long used bird feeders, birdbaths, and the like to attractbirds of various types to their homes, both to view the birds and tofeed the birds out of concern for their welfare in the event that foodis scarce, as in winter. Different types of feeders have been developed,which each dispense foodstuffs that are preferred by a selected varietyof bird that a person might desire to attract. For example, seeds,grains, suets, and nectars are common foodstuffs that can be dispensedby a selected type of feeder.

Seed dispensing birdfeeders are perhaps the easiest and most popular wayof attracting a myriad of wild birds to a particular location forviewing. This is especially so in the winter months when food is scarce.Typically, seed feeders are suspended from or supported by a pole orpost or hung from a tree branch so as to elevate the feeder above theground and are built to hold and protect the seed from the elements.

There are a variety of seed feeders that have been constructed toattract various species of wild birds. One popular type is the tubefeeder. Tube feeders are hollow, cylindrical tubes, often made ofplastic, and have multiple feeding stations spaced along the length ofthe tube. Typically, feeding stations include a feed port and anadjacent perch, such as a radially extending post, positioned below thefeed port to provide the feeding bird with a place to alight and thenobtain seed through the port while the bird stands on the perch. Feedersintended for gold finches, however, who like to feed while in an upsidedown position, are made with the perch positioned above the feed port.Other birds such as nuthatches, and some varieties of woodpeckers, alsolike to eat upside down and will do so if a suitable bird supportingstructure is available to them.

Thistle seed is attractive to finches and can be effectively dispensedwith a tube feeder having a plurality of feeding stations. However,thistle seed is also attractive to other birds as well. Since thistleseed is one of the more expensive seeds on the market, when a consumerwants to attract gold finches using thistle seed it would beadvantageous if other birds could be prevented from also consuming theseed. At other times, however, the consumer may want to use the feederto dispense other types of seeds without concern for the type of birdsthat are able to feed. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to theconsumer to have a feeder with an adjustable feed port assembly that canbe configured to allow birds to feed in either an upright position or anupside-down position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a bird feeder having areservoir with a sidewall for holding seed. The sidewall includes atleast one opening through which birds can access seed held in thereservoir. Connected to the reservoir sidewall within the opening is afeed port assembly that includes a stationary base having a centralopening into which is fitted a rotatable insert. The central opening inthe stationary base is generally about the size of the sidewall openingin the reservoir. The insert has a body that largely covers the basecentral opening to retain seed in the reservoir, while having aplurality of small openings therein to allow appropriately sized birdsto access seed through the openings. The insert also has a perchconnected thereto that extends from the insert body and is movabletherewith as a unit. The insert body may also be provided withornamental features to enhance the appearance of the feed port assembly,such as simulated flower petals or the like.

When connected to the base, the insert may be adjusted between one oftwo positions. In a first position, referred to herein as the uprightposition, the insert is oriented in the base so that the perch is belowthe sidewall opening in the reservoir. In a second position, referred toherein as the upside down position, the insert is oriented in the baseso that the perch is above the sidewall opening. Hence, when the insertis in the upright position, birds access seed through the small openingswhile standing on the perch. Conversely, when the insert is in theupside down position, birds can access seed through the openings in thebody by hanging upside down from the same perch. The consumer is free toposition the insert in either position, depending upon which type ortypes of birds the consumer wants to attract to the feeder for feeding.

In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention toprovide a new and useful bird feeder having a feed port assembly that isadjustable by the consumer to allow birds to feed in either an uprightposition or an upside down position.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved birdfeeder in accordance with the preceding object in which both upright andupside down feeding positions are provided by a single perch that ispart of the same feed port assembly.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedbird feeder in accordance with the preceding objects in which the feedport assembly includes a stationary base fitted with a movable insertthat is integral with or coupled to the perch, the insert with perchbeing rotatable within the base to move between two positions, anupright position enabling birds to feed standing on the perch and anupside down position requiring the birds to hang upside down from theperch to feed.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a birdfeeder in accordance with the preceding objects that provides fincheswith two orientations for feeding, effectively making the feeder atwo-in-one finch feeder.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide animproved bird feeder in accordance with the preceding objects that isnot complex in structure and which can be manufactured at low cost butyet efficiently enables the consumer to change the configuration of thefeeder to best attract the type or types of birds desired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an adjustable portbird feeder in accordance with the present invention in which thecomponents of one of the feed port assemblies are shown in an explodedview.

FIG. 2A is a front perspective view of the base for the feed portassemblies shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2B is a side view of the base shown in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2C is a front view of the base shown in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2D is a rear view of the base shown in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3A is a front perspective view of the insert for the feed portassemblies shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3B is a side view of the insert shown in FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3C is a rear view of the insert shown in FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3D is a front view of the insert shown in FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4A illustrates a feed port assembly as shown in FIG. 1 with a birdfeeding thereon in the upright position in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 4B illustrates a bird feeding on the same feed port assembly asthat shown in FIG. 4A, but now in the upside down position in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 5A is a front perspective view of a second embodiment of anadjustable feed port assembly in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 5B is a side view of the feed port assembly shown in FIG. 5A.

FIG. 5C is an exploded perspective view of the components of the feedport assembly shown in FIG. 5A, including a base, an insert and aconnecting member.

FIG. 6A is a front perspective view of the base shown in FIGS. 5A-5C.

FIG. 6B is a side view of the base shown in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 6C is a rear view of the base shown in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 6D is a front view of the base shown in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7A is a front perspective view of the insert shown in FIGS. 5A-5C.

FIG. 7B is a side view of the insert shown in FIG. 7A.

FIG. 7C is a top view of the insert shown in FIG. 7A.

FIG. 7D is a front view of the insert shown in FIG. 7A.

FIG. 8A is a front perspective view of the connecting member shown inFIGS. 5A-C.

FIG. 8B is a side view of the connecting member shown in FIG. 8A.

FIG. 8C is a front view of the connecting member shown in FIG. 8A.

FIG. 8D is a cross-sectional view of the connecting member shown in FIG.8C.

FIG. 8E is an enlarged view of Detail B shown in FIG. 8D.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In describing preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated in thedrawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake ofclarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to thespecific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that eachspecific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in asimilar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

As used herein, “front” refers to the side of a component that facesoutwardly from the bird feeder when the feed port assembly is assembledonto the reservoir. Conversely, “rear” refers to the opposite side,namely the side of the component that faces the interior of thereservoir of the bird feeder when assembled.

As shown in FIG. 1, according to a first embodiment the presentinvention is directed to a bird feeder generally designated by referencenumeral 10. The bird feeder has a reservoir generally designated byreference numeral 12 with a side wall 14 for holding seed, a cover 16and a feeder base 18. The reservoir side wall 14 has at least onereservoir side wall opening 20 that allows for seed access through theside wall of the reservoir. Fitted within the opening is a feed portassembly generally designated by reference numeral 22.

As shown in FIG. 1, the feed port assembly 22 includes a base generallydesignated by reference numeral 24 with a central opening 26 and arotatable insert generally designated by reference numeral 28. Accordingto the first embodiment, both the base 24 and the insert 28 are made ofa plastic material such as polypropylene, although other suitableplastics could be used.

In the illustrated embodiment, the base 24 has a mounting body 30 thatis curved to match the generally cylindrical side wall of the reservoir12; such curvature is not required, however, depending upon the shapingof the reservoir. The mounting body 30 attaches to the reservoir sidewall opening 20 by securing tabs 32 on the base 24 into correspondingnotch 34 and opening 35 formed in the sidewall 14. Other means ofattachment could also be used as would be known by persons of skill inthe art. The base 24 thus remains connected in a fixed position withrespect to the reservoir sidewall opening 20 both in use and whenchanging the orientation of the insert relative to the base.

As shown in greater detail in FIGS. 2A-2D, the base 24 includes a collargenerally designated by reference numeral 36, which projects outwardlyand rearwardly from the mounting body 30. In the illustrated embodiment,the collar 36 has a generally cylindrical sidewall 38, with the innerdiameter of the collar 36 being slightly larger than the inner diameterof the base central opening 26 to form a generally circular lip 40 thatis used to secure the insert 28 in the base 24. Positioned adjacent andinwardly of the circumference of the lip are a plurality of lugs 65spaced approximately equidistantly from one another around the lip. Inthe illustrated embodiment, four lugs are provided. The inner surface 42of the collar is generally cylindrical and has two positioning grooves44 on opposing sides of the collar sidewall 38 that extend generallyperpendicular to the mounting body 30.

The rotatable insert 28 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 3A-3D. Theinsert 28 includes a body generally designated by reference numeral 50and a perch 52. The insert may also optionally include ornamentalfeatures 54 such as simulated flower petals as shown in FIG. 1 and FIGS.3A-3D. Other ornamental features could be utilized as known to thoseskilled in the art.

The body 50 of the insert 28 has an insertion part 56 and a face plate60. The insertion part 56 includes sidewall 68 which is sized to be atleast partly received within the base central collar 36. The front end58 of the sidewall 68 is covered by the face plate 60, but the rear endis left open to provide open area (see FIG. 3C), having directcommunication with the central opening 26 in the base 24 and therebywith seed in the reservoir. Thus seed in the reservoir can fill the openarea 63 inside sidewall 68 through central opening 26. The face plate 60in the illustrated embodiment is generally circular and includes aplurality of seed accessing holes 64 therein to allow appropriatelysized birds to access seed through the openings 64. Also in theillustrated embodiment, the insertion part 56 is generally cylindricalto correspond with the generally cylindrical sidewall of the collar 36.

The side wall 68 has a radial channel 66 adjacent its rear end 62 that,in conjunction with the lip, is used to engage the insert 28 with thebase 24. More particularly, the lugs 65 on the inner surface 42 of thecollar side wall 38 (see FIGS. 2A and 2C) are received within thechannel 66 and ride therein when the insert is rotated. The sidewall 68of the insertion part 56 is further provided with two detents 72 onopposing sides of the insertion part 56. The detents 72 are receivedwithin the positioning grooves 44 formed on the inner surface 42 of thecollar sidewall 38 when the insert is connected to the base.

The perch 52 is coupled in a fixed relationship to the body 50 or ismolded therewith so as to provide a single unitary unit. While shown asa curved member, the perch may be made in a variety of shapes suitablefor use by a bird in perching upright or hanging upside down in themanner described herein.

As already noted, the insert 28 is adjustable between two positions whencoupled to the base 24: an upright position and an upside down position.When the insert is in the upright position, the perch 52 is below theface plate 60 and the seed accessing holes 64 therein as shown in FIG.4A. Alternatively, when the insert 28 is in the upside down position,the perch 52 is above the face plate and seed accessing holes 64 so thatbirds hang upside down from the perch as shown in FIG. 4B. These twopositions are essentially 180 degrees apart as defined by thepositioning grooves 44 in the collar 36 and the detents 72 on theinsertion part 56.

In particular, the positioning grooves 44 may be defined as including afirst positioning groove and an opposing positioning groove for purposesof description; there is no difference between the grooves and eithergroove can be designated the first positioning groove in which case theother groove is necessarily designated the opposing positioning groove.Similarly, the detents 72 may be defined as including a first detent andan opposing detent for purposes of description; there is no differencebetween the detents and either detent can be designated the first detentin which case the other detent is necessarily designated the opposingdetent. The insert 28 is in the upright position when the first detentis aligned with the first positioning groove and the opposing detent isaligned with the opposing positioning groove, and the insert 28 is inthe upside position when the first detent is aligned with the opposingpositioning groove and the opposing detent is aligned with the firstpositioning groove.

To change the orientation of the insert from the upright position to theupside position or vice versa, the user has only to rotate the insert180 degrees. The detents 72, while having sufficient engagement withinthe positioning grooves to hold the insert in either one of the twopositions while the feeder is in use, are flexible enough to be pressedinwardly out of the grooves and against the inner surface of the collarwhen rotational force is applied by the user to rotate the insert 180degrees to the other of the two positions.

A feed port assembly according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention is shown in FIGS. 5A-5C. The second embodiment of the feedport assembly, generally designated by reference numeral 100, includes abase, generally designated by reference numeral 124, with a centralopening 126, a rotatable insert generally designated by referencenumeral 128, and a connecting member generally designated by referencenumeral 129. According to the second embodiment, both the base 124 andthe insert 128 are made of metal, such as zinc, while the connectingmember 129 is made of a plastic material such as polypropylene.

Like the first embodiment, the base 124 has a mounting body 130 that iscurved to match the generally cylindrical side wall of the reservoir;such curvature is not required however, depending upon the shaping ofthe reservoir. The mounting body 130 attaches to the reservoir side wallopening 20 by securing tabs 132 on the base into corresponding notch 34and opening 35 formed in the top of the reservoir sidewall opening andbelow the opening, respectively. Other means of attachment could also beused as would be known by persons of skill in the art. As in the firstembodiment, the base remains fixed as mounted on the reservoir sidewallboth in use and when the insert is being adjusted.

As shown in greater detail in FIGS. 6A-6D, the mounting body 130includes a central collar 136 having a generally cylindrical sidewall138. The inner surface 142 of the collar 136 is provided with twopositioning grooves 144 on opposing sides of the inner surface 142 ofthe collar sidewall 138 that extend generally perpendicularly to themounting body. These positioning grooves 144 serve to guide positioningtabs 226 of the connecting member 129 so as to engage the connectingmember as coupled to the insert in the desired orientation within theopening 126 of the base 124.

The rotatable insert 128 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 7A-7D. Asin the first embodiment, the insert 128 includes a body generallydesignated by reference numeral 150 and a perch generally designated byreference numeral 152. The insert may also optionally include ornamentalfeatures 154 such as simulated flower petals.

The mounting body 130 of the insert 128 has an insertion part 156 and aface plate 160. The insertion part 156 has a generally cylindricalsidewall 168 and is sized to be received within the base collar 136. Theouter end 158 of the insertion part 156 is covered by the face plate 160which, in the illustrated embodiment, is generally circular. The innerend 162 of the generally cylindrical insertion part 156 is not covered,leaving open area 163 which is in direct communication with the centralopening 126 in the base 124 and thereby with seed in the reservoir. Theface plate 160 includes a plurality of seed accessing holes 164 thereinto allow appropriately sized birds to access seed in the open area 163through the openings 164.

The sidewall 168 of the insertion part 156 is provided with slots 200 ontwo opposing sides to receive locking tabs on the connecting member 129(see FIGS. 8A-8E), as will be described hereinafter. The sidewall 168 ofthe insertion part 156 is also provided with two notches 202 on a secondset of opposing sides of the sidewall; the opposing sides of thesidewall having the slots 200 are approximately 90 degrees offset fromthe second set of opposing sidewalls having the notches 202. The notches202 provide clearance for the positioning tabs 226 when the feed portassembly is being assembled.

The perch 152 is coupled to the body 150 in a fixed relationship orformed therewith so as to be movable as a single unit. As with the firstembodiment, the perch 152 may be made in a variety of shapes suitablefor use by a bird in perching upright or hanging upside down in themanner described herein.

The base 124 and the insert 128 are coupled to one another by theconnecting member generally designated by reference numeral 129 which isshown in FIGS. 8A-8E. The connecting member 129 has an annular body 210,a generally flat front surface 212, a generally flat rear surface 214, acylindrical inner wall 216 and a substantially cylindrical outer wall218. The outer wall 218 includes four cutouts spaced approximately 90degrees from one another around the circumference of the outer wall 218.Hence, there are two sets of opposing cutouts, a first set referred toherein as insert positioning tab cutouts generally designated byreference numeral 220, and a second set referred to herein as lockingtab slots generally designated by reference numeral 222.

Each of the locking tab slots 222 includes a locking tab generallydesignated by reference numeral 224 positioned therein and projectingoutwardly from the front surface of the body 210. Each locking tab 224includes an arm 225 and an outwardly directed lip 228 at the end of thearm. The arm 225 is generally perpendicular to the body 210, while thelip 228 is generally parallel with the annular body 210 and spacedtherefrom by the arm 225. The radial width of the arm 225 is less thanthe radial width of the annular body 210 so that, even with the lockingtabs 224 inserted in the locking tab slots 222, the arm 225 is insetfrom the outer circumference of the annular body so that the outermostpart of the slot 222 remains as a notch 219, albeit shallower than theinsert positioning tab cutouts 220. The notch 219 is aligned with theouter diameter of the insert surface 170.

As in the first embodiment, the insert 128 may be adjusted to be in oneof two positions when connected to the base 124, the two positions beingessentially 180 degrees apart so that if the insert is connected to thebase in the upright position the perch is below the face plate and theseed accessing holes (see FIG. 4A) while if the insert is connected tothe base in the upside down position, the perch is above the face plateand seed accessing holes (see FIG. 4B). These two positions are definedby the insert positioning tabs 226 in the connecting member 129 which,in cooperation with the notches 202 on the insertion part 156, areengaged with the grooves 144 in the inner surface 142 of the collarsidewall.

The feed port assembly 100 according to the second embodiment isassembled as follows. The base 124 is mounted to the seed reservoir byinserting the collar 136 of the base 124 into the reservoir side wallopening 20, aligning the tabs 132 on the mounting body 30 with the notch34 and opening 35 in the reservoir side wall and securing the mountingbody 130 against the outer surface of the side wall opening by insertingthe tabs into the notch and opening. The connecting member 129 iscoupled to the insert 128 by pressing the front side of the connectingmember into the back of the insert until the locking tabs 224 on theconnecting member snap into the slots 200 in the opposing sides of theinsert, thereby securing the connecting member to the insert. When thelocking tabs 224 are secured in the slots 200, the insert positioningtabs 226 extend through the notches 202 on the insert and into thepositioning grooves 144 on the base collar 136. The engagement betweenthe insert positioning tabs 226 on the connecting member and thepositioning grooves 144 on the base collar 136 holds the insert in thedesired right side up or upside down orientation in use. To change theorientation of the insert from the upright position to the upsideposition or vice versa, the user has only to rotate the insert 180degrees. The positioning tabs 226, while having sufficient engagementwithin the insert positioning grooves 144 to hold the insert in eitherone of the two positions while in use, are flexible enough to be pressedinwardly out of the grooves and against the inner surface of the collarwhen rotational force is applied by the user to rotate the insert 180degrees to the other of the two positions.

With the feed port assembly having an insert 150 and perch 152 that aremounted within a base and rotatable with respect to the base between twopositions as described herein, the consumer is able to use the feeder asstrictly a thistle seed gold finch feeder, i.e., with the feed portassembly in the upside down position so that the perch is above the seedaccess openings and, when and if desired, can easily convert the samefeeder into a general access, regular seed type bird feeder in which theperch is positioned below the seed access opening to accommodate notonly finches but also birds who feed only from an upright position.

Accordingly, the present invention has been described with some degreeof particularity directed to the exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention. It should be appreciated, though, that the present inventionis defined by the following claims construed in light of the prior artso that modifications or changes may be made to the exemplaryembodiments of the present invention without departing from theinventive concepts contained herein.

1. A bird feeder comprising: a seed reservoir having a side wall with atleast one opening therein through which birds can access seed heldwithin the reservoir; and an adjustable feed port assembly including abase and a rotatable insert fitted to said base, said base mounted tothe side wall in a fixed position and having a central opening incommunication with the opening in the reservoir side wall through whichbirds can access seed, said insert having a perch coupled thereto sothat the insert and the perch are in fixed relationship to one another,said insert being rotatable within the base between two positions, anupright position in which the perch is below the base central openingenabling birds to feed while standing on the perch and an upside downposition in which the perch is above the base central opening requiringthat the birds hang upside down from the perch to feed.
 2. The birdfeeder as set forth in claim 1, wherein said insert is rotated withrespect to said base to orient the insert in either said uprightposition or said upside down position, said insert having a pair ofdetents that engage with a corresponding pair of grooves on the base tohold the insert in one of said upright or upside down positions when thefeeder is in use.
 3. The bird feeder as set forth in claim 2, whereinsaid detents are flexible to be bent inwardly out of the grooves toenable the insert to be rotated within the base until the detents areagain engaged with the grooves so that the insert is fixed in either theupright position or the upside down position when mounted to the base.4. The bird feeder as set forth in claim 2, wherein reorienting theinsert between said upright and upside down positions requires that theinsert be rotated about 180 degrees.
 5. The bird feeder as set forth inclaim 1, wherein the base includes a mounting body fitted within thereservoir sidewall opening and an outwardly projecting collar configuredto receive and be coupled to said insert.
 6. The bird feeder as setforth in claim 5, wherein said insert includes a body and a perch, saidbody having an insertion part and a face plate, said insertion part atleast partly received within said collar and coupled thereto when thefeeder is assembled for use, said face plate positioned on an outer endof said insertion part and having a plurality of holes therein throughwhich birds access seed.
 7. The bird feeder as set forth in claim 6,wherein the collar has a generally cylindrical sidewall, an innersurface of said sidewall having two grooves on opposing sides of saidsidewall that extend generally perpendicular to the mounting body, saidinsertion part also having a generally cylindrical sidewall, an outersurface of said sidewall having two detents on opposing sides of theinsertion part that engage within said grooves and prevent rotation ofsaid insert when the feeder is in use.
 8. The bird feeder as set forthin claim 7, wherein said grooves include a first groove and an opposinggroove, and said detents include a first detent and an opposing detent,said insert being in the upright position when said first detent isaligned with said first groove and said opposing detent is aligned withsaid opposing groove, and said insert being in said upside down positionwhen said first detent is aligned with said opposing groove and saidopposing detent is aligned with said first groove.
 9. The bird feeder asset forth in claim 7, wherein said insertion part has a radial channeladjacent a rear edge of said insertion part, the inner surface of thesidewall of said base collar having a plurality of lugs that arereceived and ride within said channel to rotatably secure the insert tothe base.
 10. The bird feeder as set forth in claim 7, furthercomprising a connecting member engaged between said insert and saidbase, said connecting member being configured to be coupled to androtate with said insert within said base.
 11. The bird feeder as setforth in claim 10, wherein said connecting member has a body with twolocking tabs positioned on opposing sides of said body and projectingfrom a front side of said body, said locking tabs being received withintwo slots formed on opposing sides of the cylindrical sidewall of theinsertion part.
 12. The bird feeder as set forth in claim 11, whereinsaid connecting member body further includes two insert positioning tabson a second set of opposing sides of said body and projecting from saidfront side, said insert positioning tabs being offset from said lockingtabs by about 90 degrees, said insert positioning tabs engaging withsaid grooves on said collar sidewall to secure the insert in one of theright side up or upside down positions within the base.
 13. A birdfeeder comprising: a seed reservoir having a side wall with at least oneopening therein through which birds can access seed held within thereservoir; and an adjustable feed port assembly including a perch fittedwithin said side wall opening, said feed port assembly having at leastone part that is coupled to said perch and rotatable therewith between afirst orientation in which the perch is below the reservoir sidewallopening enabling birds to feed while standing on the perch and a secondorientation in which the perch is above the reservoir sidewall openingrequiring that the birds hang upside down from the perch to feed. 14.The bird feeder as set forth in claim 13, wherein said adjustable feedport assembly includes a base mounted to the side reservoir wall in afixed position and having a central opening in communication with theopening in the reservoir side wall through which birds can access seed,said at least one part including an insert fitted within said base androtatable with respect to said base between said first and secondorientations.
 15. The bird feeder as set forth in claim 14, wherein saidinsert has an insertion part with a generally cylindrical sidewallhaving a pair of detents that engage with a corresponding pair ofgrooves on a generally cylindrical inner surface of a collar on saidbase to hold the insert in one of said first and second orientationswhen the feeder is in use.
 16. The bird feeder as set forth in claim 15,wherein said detents are flexible to be bent inwardly out of the groovesand against the inner surface of the base to enable the insert to berotated within the base from the first orientation approximately 180degrees until the detents are again engaged with the grooves with theinsert fixed in said second orientation.
 17. The bird feeder as setforth in claim 15, wherein said insertion part has a radial channeladjacent a rear edge of said insertion part, the inner surface of thesidewall of said base collar having a plurality of lugs that arereceived and ride within said channel to rotatably secure the insert tothe base.
 18. The bird feeder as set forth in claim 15, furthercomprising a connecting member engaged between said insert and saidbase, said connecting member being configured to be coupled to androtate with said insert within said base.
 19. The bird feeder as setforth in claim 18, wherein said connecting member has a body with twolocking tabs positioned on opposing sides of said body and projectingfrom a front side of said body, said locking tabs being received withintwo slots formed on opposing sides of the cylindrical sidewall of theinsertion part.
 20. The bird feeder as set forth in claim 19, whereinsaid connecting member body further includes two insert positioning tabson a second set of opposing sides of said body and projecting from saidfront side, said insert positioning tabs being offset from said lockingtabs by about 90 degrees, said insert positioning tabs engaging withsaid grooves on said collar sidewall to secure the insert in one of saidfirst and second orientations within the base.